[ApK]

Not for nothing, but the Earl announcements says the other radio choice for the US is GMRS.

To the best of my knowledge, GMRS still requires a license. It's just a matter of filling out an online form and paying a fee, no test or anything, but required nonetheless.
The FCC has proposed to do away with that license, but it hasn't happened yet, unless the news got by me.

My advice: if you are at all technically savvy, study up on-line, find an examiner, and take the no-code technician class ham test. It really is not all that hard, and you'll be able to use a radio band that is not constantly polluted by every drunken idiot with a Walmart walkie-talkie.

As a bonus, you'll be a licensed amateur radio operator, so when the zombie apocalypse comes, you'll get stationed in the command bunker manning the radio net, and not stuck on the muddy barricade with a shotgun.